Russia Anti-corruption Head Scoffs at Property Non-disclosure Rumors

Allegations of undisclosed property against the head of the Russian Parliament’s Anti-corruption committee were dismissed by Irina Yarovaya today according to Reuters. Prominent magazine The New Times in Russia alleged Yarovaya, a staunch ally of President Vladimir Putin, accused Yaravaya of trying to conceal the ownership of an expensive property in Moscow.

The allegations surfaced some weeks after another member of Putin’s party resigned over a real estate scandal. According to the reports, it was Yaravoya’s adult daughter who owned the property in question. According to the Reuters story, Yaravoya has proposed a Kremlin crackdown that would include double the current prison terms for such things as graft.

Yarovaya, who is head of the State Duma Security and Anti-corruption Committee, claims the allegations are simply an attempt to discredit here and her party. This Ria Novasti article points to the fact that the property’s value was over escalated too to the tune of many times the actual value.

Anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny has claimed Vladimir Pekhtin, the official who stepped down, owned the $2 million dollar Miami property without having claimed it per Russian law. The ruling party’s website printed a rebuttal to the allegations. Most experts agree these allegations are further indications of vigilance by anti-Putin political forces.